Tubby Smith Officially Extended By Golden Gophers Through 2017 Season

• 11 months ago
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Tubby Smith Contract Includes Plenty Of Performance Incentives

It was a relief for the Minnesota Golden Gophers to finally finish up coach Tubby Smith's new contract, which he signed back in July. Tubby had a few more years left to play on his then-current contract, but they had been spending the entire off season working to get the new one in place.

Looking at the new contract, there are two performance incentives that Smith looks like he will be able to attain as long as his Gophers can avoid the season collapse that they suffered last season without Trevor Mbakwe -- a $50K bonus for finishing fourth in the Big Ten conference, and a $100K bonus if they can get into the NCAA tournament. TwinCities.com has more info on the contract:

The total value of Smith's remaining contract, which runs through the 2016-17 season, is about $11.5 million. His incentives are generous compared to those of other Big Ten men's basketball coaches.

Those incentives are likely in part to keep Smith hungry for the post-season after the disappointments that marred the 2011/2012 campaign for Minnesota. It certainly wouldn't hurt his odds if their star player Mbakwe was back at full tilt by the time the season began.

For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also learn more about college basketball around the nation at SB Nation’s College Basketball hub.

• about 1 year ago
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Minnesota Reportedly Close To New Contract Extension For Tubby Smith

A new contract for Minnesota Golden Gophers head basketball coach Tubby Smith has been in the rumor mill for a good while now, and despite a short bunch of rumors that LSU was looking to swipe him away, the conversation is now back on an extension for Smith.

According to 1500ESPN, Minnesota's new athletic director Norwood Teague appears to be confident that the two sides are very close to agreement on a new contract. Nothing is set in stone, especially since both sides seemed confident on the very same thing two months ago when Teague was first introduced as the new AD, but Teague is saying that negotiations are now 'in the 11th hour' despite the number of times that the negotiations have stalled so far:

"We've been in discussions with his agent (Ricky Lefft) and I know it's pretty far down the road," Teague said. "I think it's in the 11th hour and you'll hear more about it pretty soon, but I need to talk to the legal council before I talk about any specifics."

Smith currently has two years remaining on his contract with the Gophers.

For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also learn more about college basketball around the nation at SB Nation's College Basketball hub.

• about 1 year ago
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Minnesota Making Progress On Tubby Smith Extension, According To Report

The University of Minnesota and basketball coach Tubby Smith are in the process of ironing our a contract extension, according to the Star Tribune.

Norwood Teague, who took over as athletic director after former AD Joel Maturi stepped down at the end of June, told the Star Tribune that is working to extend Smith's tenure with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Teague said that they two sides are "making progress," adding:

"I think we're pretty far down the road on that and I've felt good about that, getting him solidified there and completing that process," Teague said. "It's not done yet, but hopefully it's something that will be done very soon."

Smith has two more years on the seven-year contract he signed in 2007. He is slated to make $1.75 million per year.

The Star Tribune posits that Minnesota's run to last season's NIT championship game "boosted Smith's stock among some."

Teague has a good track record with basketball coaches. Coming from VCU, he hired -- and maybe even more impressively, retained -- basketball coach Shaka Smart.

For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also learn more about college basketball around the nation at SB Nation's College Basketball hub.

• about 1 year ago
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Tubby Smith Contract: Minnesota To Offer Extension, According To Report

The Minnesota Golden Gophers are expected to offer basketball coach Tubby Smith a contract extension by the end of April, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Smith currently has two seasons remaining on a contract that pays him about $1.8 million per year.

According to the Star Tribune,

The timing is noteworthy because the school is in the process of hiring a new athletic director to replace Joel Maturi, who will depart June 30. Contract talks for Smith were put on hold until after the season because of the uncertainty with the athletic director and the fact that Eric Kaler was still new to his job as university president.

Smith came to Minnesota in 2007 and led the Gophers to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2009 and 2010. Minnesota has won at least 20 games each season Smith has been at the helm, save 2010-11, when it went 17-14.

This season Minnesota was 23-15 overall and went just 6-12 in the Big Ten. That 6-12 conference mark is pretty pedestrian, but an asterisk might be in order considering the team lost leading scorer Trevor Mbakwe to a torn ACL just seven games into the season. Before the injury, Mbakwe was averaging 14.0 points, 9.1 rebounds and nearly two blocks.

The team rallied late in the season to make it to the NIT championship game, where it lost to Stanford.

For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also learn more about college basketball around the nation at SB Nation's College Basketball hub. You can also check out college basketball news at SB Nation's YouTube channel:

• about 1 year ago
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Minnesota Golden Gophers Coach Tubby Smith Expects Contract Extension

The Minnesota Golden Gophers basketball coach Tubby Smith told reporters he expects to get a new contract extension, regardless of whether or not the Gophers win the NIT this season, according to Marcus Fuller of The St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Smith said he doesn't have a timetable for meeting with President Eric Kaler after the season to talk about an extension. He said he is aware Kaler wants to hire an athletics director first.

"I still have two years left on my contract," Smith said. "It's not going to affect recruiting or anything else. That's the only thing I'm worried about at this point in time."

The Golden Gophers will likely only lose one player--senior Ralph Sampson III-- from this year's roster, as fifth-year senior Trevor Mbakwe has been granted a sixth season after tearing his right ACL in a game back in November.

Minnesota will play Washington in the NIT semifinals Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. If they defeat the Huskies, the Gophers will advance to the finals to play the winner of UMass and Stanford.

For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also learn more about college basketball around the nation at SB Nation's College Basketball hub.

• about 1 year ago
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Tubby Smith Says He's Not A Candidate For Tulsa Job

Much has been said about the future of Tubby Smith, and whether he'll be on his way out as the coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers - for whatever reason. There was some early talk of leaving coaching, but now the talk has centered around potentially leaving for another school. The most prominent rumor has been one of Smith returning to Tulsa, where Smith began his NCAA head coaching career.

The Star Tribune recently published a quote from Smith that would seem to put those rumors to rest:

"I'm a candidate for Minnesota," Smith said. "That's it. It's good to hear that sometimes, but it doesn't help with your recruiting and things like that.''

As noted, Smith began his head coaching career there. He led the Golden Hurricane to a 79-43 record between 1991-95 and two Sweet 16 appearances. Smith has also been linked to South Carolina, among others. It's believed that Tulsa wouldn't have the salary to bring Smith in near the amount he's making now - about $1.8 million annually, according to Tulsa World.

For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also learn more about college basketball around the nation at SB Nation's College Basketball hub.

• over 1 year ago
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Is It Time For The Gophers To Fire Tubby Smith?

The Minnesota Golden Gophers basketball season ended up a lot more disappointing than most had hoped going into the season. While it can't all be blamed on Tubby Smith, some have started to wonder whether the team's head coach should be fired.